I'll be your Wingman
by ThisIsACabbeth
Summary: Leonardo, in spite of his own feelings, tries to help Ezio get a girl by painting a portrait of him. The end result leaves Ezio speechless and changes his mind. EzioxLeo  I still hate summaries.
1. I have a request

I'll be your Wingman

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE ASSASSIN'S CREED CHARACTERS

Ezio sighed, happiness evident on his face as he sat on the roof he had recently jumped to. The reason why he was so happy? Simple, a girl. He had fallen in love at first sight, she was beautiful. Her hair was long and dark, her eyes a stunning green, her skin as white as porcelain. And oh, the way she walked made his head turn a full ninety degrees. Sadly, he didn't know her name though, but in the back of his mischievous little mind, he planned on learning it soon. He knew from watching her from the rooftops that she had a lot of admirers, many men wanting to court her, even though she was not rich or held any sort of political importance in her family.

She was simply beautiful, and Ezio was caught up in her beauty, and planned to win her heart over. "But what do girls enjoy?" he mumbled to himself, tapping his lips with his fingertips in thought. Then an idea came to his women-clouded mind. Girls like art, right? "Leonardo!" he exclaimed, pounding his fist into his palm. He made his way to Leonardo's, which wasn't very far away. He hopped onto the roof of the artist's workshop, a soft thud coming from his feet. The assassin looked around for any guards that might try to shoot arrows at him for being on the roof before hopping down onto some crates, safely reaching the ground, people around him giving him strange glances at his actions.

Brushing them off, Ezio went to the door and let his hood down, knocking on the door frantically. "Leonardo? _Il mio amico_ are you there?" He was answered by a crash, muffled yelling, and the cursing of someone's name, probably an assistant's. The door was flung open, a huffing, flustered, and pretty tired looking Leonardo standing in the doorway.

"Ezio, my friend!" Leonardo exclaimed, putting his hands on Ezio's shoulders. "What can I do for you? Is it another codex page?"

"Actually Leonardo…" Ezio's voice trailed off, he didn't know how to put this. He never once asked for a portrait from him, he only ever came to the artist for the decryption of codex pages. Leonardo's blue eyes shone with curiosity, it wasn't like the assassin to be nervous with his words, with anything actually.

"What is it, Ezio? Do you need to come in?" Leonardo held the door open for him, and Ezio nodded in reply.

"That would help, _grazie_." Ezio stepped inside and saw what had caused the crash he heard earlier, a knocked over and broken easel, which was currently being cleaned up by a fretting assistant.

"When you are done with that, you may leave." Leonardo said, a bit of an edge in his voice. The assistant nodded, and continued his work as Leonardo turned his attention to Ezio. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Well…" Ezio rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I have a request."

"What is it?" Leonardo leaned against his desk, which was drowning in papers, sketches, and other various objects. He was interested, very interested, it was the first time that Ezio Auditore was acting nervous, around him of all people. His mind started swimming in possible reasons why, coming back to a little idea that made his heart flutter a bit in his chest.

"I need you to paint a portrait of me," Ezio suddenly blurted out, stepping closer to Leonardo. The artist blinked in surprise at the sudden outburst, regaining his composure he asked, "May I ask for what…or whom?"

Ezio's eyes suddenly got dreamy, and Leonardo's heart sank as he spoke. "It is for this _belle signorina_," he let out another sigh as he imagined her, the long hair flowing behind her as she walked. Her hips swaying as she walked in that sashay way that made heads turn, including his. The green eyes that occasionally met his, then looked away almost immediately, whether from not knowing him, disinterest, or something else that was hidden in her agenda. "She is so wonderful…I want to woo her, Leonardo. Will you help me?" Ezio's eyes locked with Leonardo's, the brown mixing with his blue, pleading for help.

Leonardo faltered in those eyes, the ones he loved, the ones he loved to see close with laughter, the ones he loved to see burn with anger, with fire. He bit his lip in thought, knowing that Ezio would wonder why he would be taking so long to answer his request. He finally put on a small, forced smile, nothing that Ezio would notice, and nodded. "Of course, _il mio amico_." He felt himself emphasize the last few words in his head and he felt his heart break slowly. "I will paint this portrait of you."

Ezio's face beamed, gripping Leonardo's hands in a happy, tight grasp. "_Molto grazie_ Leonardo! I'll pay you for it!"

Leonardo shook his head, his eyes darting to the floor to avoid looking at Ezio's. He knew what they looked like, they were gleaming with excitement, but none of that excitement belonged to Leonardo, and a little voice in the artist's head said that it never would. "Come back tomorrow, Ezio, and we'll start the modeling." Leonardo swiftly moved away from Ezio's grip on his hands.

Ezio looked confused. "Tomorrow? Modeling?"

"I can't exactly paint a portrait of you, without you to model, _idiota_." Leonardo huffed, putting his hands on his hips in an annoyed manner. His patience was surprisingly wearing thin, usually he loved being with Ezio, but after hearing this request for the lady that had stolen Ezio's heart, Leonardo wanted him gone so he could….think. "Come by tomorrow, Ezio. I must clean this workshop and get a new easel before we can start your portrait."

Ezio nodded and all but skipped out of the workshop, thoughts of his beautiful _signorina_ wafting through his head again as he climbed up the roofs of Florence and towards the villa. Leonardo watched from a window until the white robes disappeared, he then closed the window and latched it shut, turning to his assistant who had just finished cleaning up the mess. Leonardo reached into pocket and pulled out the payment for the day, thanking him for his hard work, and telling him not to worry about the accident. He sent the assistant home with a smile, who was smiling in return as he left, his pockets jingling with hard-earned florins.

Leonardo finally had his workshop to himself, taking off his beret and softly placing it on the paper-covered desk. He really should clean it off…but as soon as both his assistant and Ezio left, his body felt so tired. Even the thought of Ezio made his chest hurt. He gripped where his heart was, stumbling as sudden pain shot through him. He grabbed the edge of the desk, papers falling to the ground revealing unfinished sketches. Leonardo took one longing glance at them and shook his head as he struggled to his feet, shuffling his way to where his bed was so he could rest.

(GOD IT'S BEEN FOREVER. Hey guys. I'm alive...? I've started playing Assassin's Creed, which is where this came from. I'm sorry if it's a bit...off. I haven't written in awhile and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.)


	2. Model for Leo

I'll be your Wingman

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE ASSASSIN'S CREED CHARACTERS

Leonardo was awakened the next morning to the sound of banging on his door. He sat up in his bed and tried to rub the tiredness out of his eyes, sluggishly getting onto his feet and shuffling towards the door. "_Si_?"

"_Ser_ Leonardo, _buongiorno_!" It was his assistant from yesterday. Leonardo blinked, his mind still clouded with sleep and endless thoughts.

"_Scusa_, I forgot to tell you yesterday that you may take the day off today." Leonardo laughed, to his ears, it seemed hollow.

The assistant frowned. "Is this about the easel? Because I can replace it!" Leonardo shook his head.

"This has nothing to do with the easel. I just have a personal project I would like to work on myself." Leonardo smiled, kindly, to try and calm down the frantic assistant. He did and smiled back.

"_Si, ser_ Leonardo. I will be back tomorrow." With that, the assistant was off. Leonardo leaned against the doorframe and watched the young man's back until he disappeared. The artist lingered for a few moments, before returning inside his workshop. The conversation with the assistant reminded him that he needed that new easel. Realizing that he had fallen asleep in his clothes from yesterday, he got changed into some fresh ones and grabbed his beret from the desk he left it on yesterday, heading out the door as soon as he was ready. He walked toward the paint vendor, knowing that he would probably have a few easels for sale, if not, know where to get one. As he was walking the streets of Florence, he noticed the familiar flash of white out of the corner of his eyes. His head turned, and he felt his eyes widening as he saw Ezio standing with a young woman. Leonardo stopped and could only watch as their conversation continued. He heard nothing, but could tell from their facial expressions that both were having a good time with each other.

Ezio was right though, she was beautiful. Leonardo's eyes shot to the ground, not wanting to see anymore, the last thing he saw being Ezio's head flying back with laughter. He began walking again, rather quickly as well, his red cape making a brilliant flash of color against the dull colors of the other traveling townsfolk.

"Hm?" The woman that Ezio was currently wooing looked over, seeing the flash of red. Nothing was there.

"What is it, _signorina?_" Ezio asked, his voice deep. He didn't even notice the flash of the cape. The woman looked back up at Ezio with a smile and a shrug.

"Just a bird I guess."

* * *

><p>Leonardo reached the art vendor, panting. The pain in his chest had started again, and he leaned on the vendor for support, gripping it like a lifeline. The past few moments ran through his head like a ruined film reel. The way they looked into each other's eyes, the way they smiled at each other – so sweetly – the way that he laughed, <em>oh<em> the way that he laughed right then. He threw his head back _in laughter_. The thought made Leonardo sick to his stomach; that it wasn't him making Ezio laugh, it wasn't him making Ezio smile sweetly, it wasn't him who was looking into Ezio's brown eyes… Leonardo's thoughts were running wild and rampant, causing him to lose his balance and stumble.

"_Signore_? Are you alright?" The voice sounded distant and echoed in Leonardo's ears, but it brought him back to reality enough for him to catch his breath. It was the owner of the vendor.

"_S-Si, _my apologies," Leonardo put his hand to his forehead and noticed he was sweating. "Do you have any easels for sale, perchance?"

"It's your lucky day! We happen to have one left in stock! Great size too!" The owner was enthusiastic, and ran to go get the object.

"_Grazie_…" Leonardo leaned against the vendor, hoping for some relief of this pressure he felt on his shoulders and chest. He found no relief as the owner came back, carrying the, rather large, easel.

"Here it is!" he exclaimed.

"_M-Molto grazie_," Leonardo paid the man and lifted the easel with great trouble, beginning to carry it back to his workshop. He had trouble all along the way, huffing and puffing as he made his way back the shortest route, the way he came. He wasn't thinking this though, as he reached the spot with Ezio and the young woman again. This time, Ezio spotted him.

"Leonardo!" Ezio sounded worried. Did Leonardo look that strained? The artist watched both the assassin and the young woman jog over. "Leonardo, do you need help?"

"So this is the famous Leonardo da Vinci?" the woman asked, a slight bored tone in her voice. Ezio nodded.

"He is one of my best friends!" Another stab of pain went through Leonardo's chest. The easel felt two times heavier now than it did before. "He is also a great inventor."

"Wow," Leonardo still heard that bored tone in the woman's voice.

"Ezio, my friend – " another stab, " – we should probably get started on that project." Leonardo wanted to get away from here, get away from _her_. Ezio smiled and nodded.

"My apologies, Serena," he took her hand and kissed it. Serena giggled.

"_Va bene_," she walked off. Ezio was looking at her as long as he could before she disappeared into a crowd of people. He was taken off guard when the easel was shoved into his arms.

"Wha – ?" Ezio grabbed it and started to glare at Leonardo, before he saw how pale the artist was. "Leonardo?"

"I am fine. Let us go back to my workshop and get started." Leonardo began walking briskly, Ezio jogging momentarily to catch up with him.

"Alright…" Ezio's head tilted, Leonardo was swaying slightly as he walked. The assassin was worried, but if anything was wrong with the artist, wouldn't he have told him already? The thought of Leonardo keeping a secret from him bothered him, and he didn't know why. In silence, the two of them arrived at the workshop. Leonardo opened the door and got out of the way of Ezio, who maneuvered the easel through the doorway. The artist entered behind him, and closed the door with a soft click, hearing Ezio struggling to set up the easel.

"_Qua_, let me do it," Leonardo took the easel and with a few quick movements it was standing, ready to use. He meandered over to where some blank canvases were piled neatly, one of the few things that were neat in his workshop, and set one up on the easel, pulling up a stool and grabbing a piece of charcoal to sketch with. "Now, Ezio," he smiled, though it pained him to do so. "What would you like to give to this young lady?"

Ezio tapped his fingers to his lips in thought, a habit he did, Leonardo noticed. "I want to seem wonderful to her, Leonardo. I am no good at deciding what to paint, what do you think I should give her?" Leonardo froze on his stool, gripping the charcoal and staring at the blank canvas. Already an image was forming on it, something that would make Serena swoon. Leonardo's artist instincts were taking over his feelings. He suddenly became very self-conscious of his grip on the charcoal and softened it, staring at the mark it made on his hand.

"I might have an idea…" he said, glancing back over at Ezio, who had, during Leonardo's thoughts, leaned on the desk.

"Really?" Ezio's smile returned, the one that Leonardo didn't own, it was the one that Serena owned.

"_Si_," Leonardo said simply. "Ezio, I need you to exit my workshop, and then enter, but from my workshop window. I want you to jump in, from afar." Ezio blinked questioningly, then nodded. He walked out of the workshop and began climbing up the roof expertly, Leonardo quickly unlatching the window and opening it for him. He watched with an expert eye as Ezio leapt from a roof to a wooden platform, landing gracefully, the tail of his robe and his cape staying in the air for a few extra moments. Leonardo noted that silently as he watched Ezio disappear behind the ridge of a roof. He stepped back knowingly, but kept the roof in sight. Soon Ezio came sprinting, his face rigid, concentrated as he got to the edge, jumping, his target Leonardo's window.

People looked up at the sudden shadow and Leonardo could only watch, his eyes widening at the spectacular show. Ezio looked like an eagle aiming for its prey, the way that his legs tucked in so expertly, almost mechanically, and the way his arms folded back like wings. It was almost like Ezio was the bird of prey himself. The artist could not take his eyes off of the assassin as he landed on his windowsill with a loud clap of his boots, gripping the windowsill to maintain his balance. The eagle caught its prey flawlessly.

"How was that, Leonardo?" his brown eyes caught Leonardo's blue ones, locking with them. Ezio was smiling blissfully, elated to have flown through the air. Leonardo felt his heart flutter and his cheeks grow slightly warm, his breath hitching. He panicked and looked away from Ezio and nodded sporadically.

"T-That was _molto bene_, Ezio," he managed to stammer out, trying to regain his breath. "I-I almost have everything I need."

"What more do you need?" Ezio climbed inside quickly, closing the window and latching it closed, people were milling about under Leonardo's window, Ezio didn't want to cause any more much trouble for the artist than he already was. Leonardo thought for a second, what else did he need? He saw the image appear on his canvas for a brief second. What he saw between Serena and Ezio on his canvas, Ezio wouldn't like it, not at all.

"_Non importa_, don't worry about it. Unless she was here, I wouldn't be able to do it…" Leonardo regretted what he had just uttered.

"I can get Serena! She would be great at modeling!" Ezio exclaimed, happiness surging through him at seeing Serena again. Leonardo kept his eyes to the floor, closing them tightly, keeping silent as Ezio spouted out praises of Serena. "She would be the perfect model for you, Leonardo! Her hair falls just so perfectly, Leonardo. Her eyes look at you just the right way, Leonardo."

_Stop it…Stop speaking about her…Stop saying my name when you talk about her._

"And the way she walks, Leonardo, everybody turns their heads. And her voice, it is just divine!" Leonardo's jaw clenched as the all too familiar pain coming back, the heavy feeling on his shoulders and his chest coming back. His hands clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood.

"And she is just hilarious!" Leonardo's eyes snapped open as his mind reeled back to the memory of Ezio's head being thrown back in laughter. He had heard enough.

"Ezio…" he said quietly, his voice was shaking and only a whisper. It hurt him to even say the assassin's name.

"And I made her laugh too, Leonardo. Can you believe it? I never thought I was funny. But she does, she is just wonderful!" Ezio continued his spiel.

"Ezio," Leonardo managed to say a little louder, though still muffled by Ezio's talking of Serena.

"I can see something special between the two of us. Can you, Leonardo? Ah, of course you –,"

"Ezio!" Leonardo shouted this time, cutting the assassin off. Ezio stared at the artist, astonished, it was the first time that he had shouted at him, he didn't quite understand, Leonardo was usually so calm and happy. It was then that he noticed that Leonardo was shaking, and blood was dripping from his hands.

"Leonardo…?" he took a step forward, the board underneath his foot creaking under his weight.

"Ezio…_per favore_, leave." It was more of a demand than a request. Ezio, too shocked to respond, only obeyed, exiting the workshop, glancing over his shoulder to look at Leonardo. The artist was now leaning over, examining his bleeding hands. The expression he wore was pure sorrow, pure pain. The assassin's view of Leonardo disappeared as the door gave itself to gravity, shutting slowly.

(Second chapter done. I swear, I felt horrible when I was writing this because I love Leonardo. He's one of my favorite characters in the game. This chapter went along a lot more smoothly than the first thankfully, and I'm quite proud of it. Anyway, R & R, please. It would be much appreciated, and lets me know if you guys like this story or not.)


	3. Il mio unico amore

I'll be your Wingman

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE ASSASSIN'S CREED CHARACTERS

Leonardo couldn't sleep that night. All his thoughts went helplessly back to Ezio. When he tried lying in bed, he felt a tremendous pressure on his chest, causing him to bolt upright, coughing and wheezing for air. "Is this what it feels like…?" Leonardo whispered to himself, grabbing a fistful of cloth that rested over his heart. "Heartbreak?" He curled up, forehead resting on his knees as his stomach lurched. He got out of bed, lit a few candles, and went to the canvas that had some sketches on it, currently just faint outlines of faces and body positions. Picking up the charcoal once more, he pulled sat on the stool and began working once again, hoping that if he could finish this portrait, everything would just disappear and go back to normal.

He had difficulty remembering Serena's features as he focused on her first. He tried to remember the day he met her in the street, though not a very happy meeting, he could remember that she was very beautiful, so that's what he tried drawing her as. He remembered Ezio talking about her, her dark hair –so long and beautiful–, her eyes –so stunningly green–, and her smile –so sweet–, Leonardo drew it as such. He drew a rough sketch of a windowsill with Serena looking out of the window, the smile that Ezio loved so much on her face.

Then he focused on Ezio, the outline of his body currently in the shape of him jumping to the window, in that same flying form he had seen earlier when Ezio had jumped into his window. He stared at the outline as the memory of it came back into his mind. The way Ezio soared through the sky like he had wings, the way he looked like he belonged in the air. Leonardo furrowed his brows, gripping the charcoal as he let his hand rest on the wood of the easel. For some reason, the outline didn't look right now; it didn't quite capture what he saw. And how could you capture something like that? "You can't…" he heard himself saying as he licked his thumb and started erasing the outlines. They disappeared after a few strokes of his thumb, leaving black smudges on both the canvas and his thumb. He put the charcoal down once Ezio's body was fully erased, leaving only the outlines of his face, which was facing in the direction of Serena, away from him. Leonardo reached up slowly and gently touched the canvas, where the outline of Ezio's face was drawn. He wished silently that it would somehow look at him, but it didn't move.

Picking up the charcoal again, Leonardo started sketching another outline of Ezio's body. He remembered everything about it, he'd seen Ezio without his armor on, he knew how muscular his arms were from hanging off of roofs. He knew how broad his chest was when he had to treat some of his wounds once after an assassination had gone wrong and he had gotten shot with an arrow in the middle of his chest. Leonardo's heart had nearly stopped that day, seeing Ezio standing at his door, bleeding, stumbling inside. He had fallen into Leonardo's arms then, sending them both to the floor. Leonardo had frantically tried to keep Ezio awake with stories as he removed the arrow and stopped the blood from flowing. The assassin has slept for two days straight then, Leonardo keeping a watchful eye over him for any signs of him getting worse. Thankfully, he woke up fine one morning, smiling like always.

Leonardo noticed that as he came back to the present, he had sketched out Ezio perched on the windowsill as he was earlier, his hand holding Serena's chin in a gentle grasp, only two fingers actually touching while the others were against his palm. His other hand was gripping the windowsill for leverage, his feet angled inward towards the room that Serena was in. His cape and the tail of his robe sketched in a way to look like Ezio has just sailed down from above, both creased and folding in on themselves. His expression was a soft smile, but the smile was not Serena's, it was Leonardo's smile, the one that he showed around the artist. It wasn't a fake smile that was fortified with defenses so you couldn't read it; it was a real one, showing how much he trusted Leonardo. Leonardo put down the piece of charcoal and began gathering the necessary paints for the portrait. He started mixing colors, getting the right shades he needed for Ezio's tanned skin and Serena's pale skin. He got the reds and the whites necessary for the Assassin robes, and also the blues and a hint of black for the night sky, putting them all out on a palette.

Long before Leonardo was finished, it was morning. The gray sunlight spilled in from the window, making the almost used up candles useless. He blew them out and allowed the sunlight to do the lighting for him. Leonardo wasn't hungry, but nonetheless took out some bread and wine from a cupboard and placed it on a surprisingly clean table. He poured a glass of wine for himself and sipped at it, resting his head on his hand, as the morning grew older and the town started to awake.

There was a soft knock at his door, slightly startling him. "Come in."

The door opened, and shut, his assistant walking into view. "_Buongiorno_, _maestro_."

"You're here rather early," Leonardo took another sip of his wine.

"I was worried about you. You didn't seem like yourself yesterday." So he did pick it up, his assistant was smarter than he thought.

"_Sto bene_," Leonardo smiled, putting down the wine glass. "Oh…Regarding this personal project. If a man named Ezio Auditore comes here. Tell him I am away, even if it is a lie." He gave his assistant a hard look, as hard of a look as he could, considering he just had a night with no sleep. His assistant nodded, curious, but respectful of the artist's private wishes. "_Grazie_." Leonardo stood up, and stumbled, falling to the ground, dizzy.

"_Maestro_ Leonardo!" Leonardo's assistant flew to his side, helping him up. "Are you alright?"

"_Si_…Just a bit dizzy…Take me to the stool. I will rest there as I work on my project."

"That is not resting…" his assistant sighed, but obeyed, allowing Leonardo to put his weight on him. They both shuffled over to the stool, and Leonardo sat down on it…well, rather crawled on it and pointed to the palette that was on the desk. His assistant retrieved it, as well as a paintbrush, and handed both to him, a small _grazie_ escaping the artist's tired lips.

"Remember what I told you," Leonardo dipped the paintbrush into the paint and began his work, first painting the night sky. His assistant nodded, though he wasn't sure Leonardo saw him, as he was suddenly very into his project.

* * *

><p>Early morning turned into late morning, the gray sunlight turning a soft gold, allowing Leonardo to have more light to work with. His eyes remained glued to the canvas, the brush expertly making streaks of dark blue for the sky. His assistant flashed a worried look over his shoulder, starting to try and clean up the paper-covered desk. When Leonardo got like this, he tended to forget about himself. The thoughts of eating and sleeping escaped his mind, leaving only thoughts of the project, and the way he was acting with this one, the case was peculiarly bad. He made a mental note in his mind to get some food into the artist as he heard a hard knock on the door.<p>

"Get that," Leonardo demanded, lack of sleep, food, and being disrupted from his project the cause of irritation edging at his voice. His assistant rushed to the door, sketches still in his hand from cleaning the desk as he opened it.

"_Si_?" he asked, seeing a young man in strange robes at the door, a hood covering his face. The only thing visible on his face was his mouth, which was curled downward in a frown.

"Is Leonardo there? Please, I need to talk with him. My name is Ezio, Ezio Auditore." Bells rang in the assistants head, and he could feel the air in the workshop grow stale and cold, even though the door was open. This was the person that Leonardo didn't want to see?

"_Mi dispiace,_ but _maestro_ Leonardo is not here at the moment," he closed the door slightly, not allowing Ezio any view inside of the workshop.

Ezio's mouth tightened into a scowl, "Do you know where he is? My message is very urgent."

"No," The assistant replied simply.

"Will he be back tomorrow?" Ezio's voice seemed strained, like he had just ran all across Italy.

"_Non lo so_," the assistant shrugged and began closing the door, deciding the conversation was over. Ezio stopped him though, a hand keeping the door open.

"Tell him…tell Leonardo I need to talk to him." His eyes were visible to the assistant now, and they were swimming in a mix of emotions, ones he couldn't hide, even from a stranger. He then turned swiftly on his heels and walked briskly away, soon disappearing into the crowd of early-morning townspeople. The assistant closed the door and looked back at Leonardo, who had stopped mid-stroke, listening to the exchange between the two.

"Are you sure that was okay?" the assistant asked, walking back into the room. Leonardo nodded slowly, continuing his brush-stroke and noticing that it left a smudge that he would have to fix later.

"It is for the best…" Leonardo said softly, dipping his brush for more blue paint and continuing his work of the night sky.

* * *

><p>Ezio continued visiting the workshop day after day, asking the same question;<p>

"Is Leonardo there?"

"No," the assistant would reply. Ezio would always leave, his shoulders hunched a bit lower, his lips a bit more creased downward at the corners. The assistant would always close the door after the assassin left, and find Leonardo frozen, either mid-stroke, putting his brush back up to the canvas, or refreshing the paint on it. After a few seconds he would continue what he was doing, acting like Ezio had never visited.

These little routines continued for five days straight. On the sixth day, there was a loud banging on the workshop door.

"Leonardo! Leonardo! I know you're in there! Leonardo!" It was Ezio, yelling his name. Leonardo looked up slowly from the completed portrait. Colors blended and complimented each other. The moon radiated in the top right corner, an eagle just to the left of it, but the main focus was Ezio, so expertly detailed, so wonderfully painted, it would be hard to keep your eye off of him. Even as you would follow his arm to Serena's chin, you would just be tempted back to the perching assassin.

"Get the door…" Leonardo whispered through cracked lips, then he realized he was alone. His assistant had not come in for work yet. Using the stool for support, he struggled to his feet, multiple days without food and sleep weighing down his body. He was paler than before, his blonde hair was straw-like now, and his eyes had tired circles under them. Teetering, Leonardo slowly made his way to the door, where the pounding continued. He felt the same pounding in his head, making him dizzy, causing him to stagger and fall to the ground with a loud thud.

Ezio heard the thud, and felt his heart drop to his stomach. He pounded harder, causing his hands to become red. "Leonardo!" he nearly screamed. He heard footsteps and whipped around, hidden blade at the ready, before quickly sheathing it as he saw the assistant standing behind him. "Quickly! Leonardo is not responding!" He grabbed the assistant by the shoulders and pushed him to the door.

"I knew I should've spent the night…" Ezio heard the assistant mumble as he fumbled in his pockets, retrieving a key and unlocking the door. Ezio nearly pushed the assistant to the floor as he hurdled through the door, stopping immediately as he saw Leonardo, unconscious on the floor.

"Leonardo!" Ezio ran to the artist's side, picking him up and holding him gently, he saw how pale he had become, how thin he had become as well. "A _dottore_! We need a _dottore_!" he held Leonardo close to him, suddenly protective of the artist.

The assistant nodded and ran out, going to retrieve a doctor. Ezio continued to hold Leonardo, shaking his hood off of his head and gently touching Leonardo's face. His cheekbones were poking out, somewhat sunken, their usual roundness absent as he had refrained from eating while working on the portrait. "Leonardo…" Ezio leaned down, touching his forehead with the unconscious artist's, his brown eyes looking at Leonardo's closed ones. He wished that they would open, that he would see the usual azure blue, shining with happiness and glee. "Open your eyes Leonardo…" he found himself whispering. The artist did not comply though, his eyes remaining shut, his body remaining limp in the assassin's firm hold. Ezio pressed their foreheads together further, if that was even possible, and breathed heavily, his heart thumping worriedly in his chest.

The assistant returned quickly, the doctor in tow, Ezio's head snapped up in alarm as they came through the door. The doctor bent down and reached out to Leonardo, to Ezio's surprise, he held Leonardo closer, more protectively against his chest. The doctor gave him a stern look, and Ezio reluctantly let Leonardo lay on the floor, using his cape as a make-shift pillow.

"Oh dear, this isn't good at all," the doctor said after examining Leonardo, touching his face, his sides, everywhere. It made Ezio mad for some reason. "He is extremely weak. By the look and feel of his body, I would say he hasn't eaten or slept in days." The doctor turned his attention to the assistant, paying no heed to Ezio.

"He gets like this sometimes," the assistant explained. "When there is a project that is of great importance to him, he tends to forget himself. This portrait seemed really special." He walked over and picked the canvas that was nearly dry, only a few thick blotches of paint struggling to stay wet. After looking at it, he handed it to Ezio. "It seems to be yours."

Ezio took it hesitantly and looked at the masterpiece. To call it beautiful would be demeaning. He realized how…detailed he was compared to everything else and couldn't help but stare at it for awhile. He didn't exactly hear the doctor ask for a new bottle of strong wine, he didn't hear the assistant clutter around the cabinets and cupboards, he didn't hear the pop and the swishing of liquid, but he did smell the strong scent of new wine.

He did hear though, the sound of Leonardo groaning as he woke up from his unconscious state.

"Leonardo!" Ezio almost threw the canvas to the floor, then with careful thinking, put it down gently and then scrambled over to the artist, hovering over him. "Leonardo, are you alright?"

"Ezio…? What are you doing here? Why am I on the floor? Why is there a _dottore_ here?" Leonardo looked around quickly, very confused at the events. Ezio sighed softly, despite looking horrible, Leonardo seemed to be acting normal, for right now.

The doctor got behind Leonardo and put his gloved hands on Leonardo's shoulders. "Let's get you up," he said, lifting him from up the floor, some help from Leonardo's assistant. Leonardo grunted with extreme effort, no energy in his body as his vision started getting black, and he started getting dizzy again. He shook his head clear though, and smiled kindly at the doctor.

"_Grazie_."

"Get something to eat, _capire_?" the doctor stared at him through his mask, to give him the stern look this time. Leonardo's smile turned sheepish, and he nodded slowly, his assistant already meandering to the cupboards to retrieve some bread, cheese and glasses for the newly opened wine bottle. The doctor patted Leonardo's head and he exited, saying he would retrieve his payment later.

Leonardo was left staring at Ezio, who was in turn staring at him as well, the busy clinking of dishes the only noise in the room. The silence between them was starting to get to the both of them, neither knowing what to say at this point. It was at this time that Leonardo's assistant put down a plate with a few pieces of bread and some cheese in front of the both of them, accompanied with some glasses that he filled up. He then left, looking hard at Leonardo when he started to protest. The silence fell again, even harder without the sound of clinking dishes.

Ezio was the first to break the silence, "Leonardo…" Leonardo flinched at his voice and snatched up a piece of bread and smeared cheese on it, literally shoving it into his mouth. Ezio watched, falling silent again as Leonardo ate the bread, realizing it was an excuse not to talk. His brown eyes then flicked over and saw some cheese on Leonardo's cheek that the blonde hadn't noticed. Reaching over he wiped it away with his thumb, feeling the blonde freeze under his touch. He retracted his thumb, Leonardo's gaze following it, and licked the cheese off of it. It tasted oddly delicious to Ezio, and he saw that Leonardo was flushed a deep red. "I'm sorry Leonardo."

Leonardo had settled down, and was stirring the wine in his glass absentmindedly, looking up when Ezio spoke. "For what?"

"For not realizing you were doing this to yourself. I was too busy with Serena to notice." Ezio avoided Leonardo's gaze. "But after you refused to see me, or while your assistant sent me away, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Even when I was with Serena. All my thoughts came back to you somehow. I couldn't focus on anything, and my feet would always lead me somehow back to your workshop."

Leonardo blinked at what he was hearing, certainly this wasn't…? He reached out to Ezio, who now had his head in his hands, fingers gripping his hair, causing some loose strands to fall out of its binding. "Ezio…_il mio ami_ – " a gloved hand caught his wrist, gripping tightly, burning brown eyes were suddenly staring into his blue ones.

"Don't say it Leonardo," Ezio said. "Don't call me a friend. Don't lie." Leonardo faltered, his wrist beginning to ache with the rough grip it was being held in.

Leonardo took in a deep breath, shutting his eyes as he softly spoke, "Ezio…_il mio unico amore_." He felt the grip on his wrist lighten. Opening his eyes, Leonardo saw that Ezio's face was frozen, but the assassin's eyes were swirling in emotion.

"Leonardo…!" Leonardo felt himself being pulled forward, felt his body being enveloped by strong arms, felt the missed beat in Ezio's heart. "_E mi_, Leonardo, _e mi_." Leonardo looked up at Ezio, eyes wide and mind disbelieving what it had just heard. The artist found himself wrapping his own arms around the assassin, embracing him tightly, burying his face into Ezio's chest. They stayed like that, just holding each other, sharing each other's warmth, and this time, the silence was welcomed.

"Leonardo?" Ezio asked after awhile, wondering if the artist had fallen asleep.

"Hmm?" Leonardo looked up from Ezio's chest, and found a finger tracing his jaw-line, guiding him closer to the assassin's face. He could feel Ezio's breath on his face, and couldn't help but flush slightly as Ezio stopped guiding him when their lips were barely centimeters apart. A smirk was on his scarred lips as he whispered softly, "_Ti amo_," leaning in and kissing Leonardo. Leonardo was stunned for a few seconds, both by the kiss and the words that came out of Ezio. He soon melted into the kiss, returning it with fever, putting his hands on the armored shoulders of the assassin. Through the kiss he felt Ezio smile, and lean into Leonardo, deepening their lip-lock. They continued their heated kissing, new-found feelings fueling their emotions. They only pulled away to stare into each other's eyes for a few seconds, panting, before continuing their kisses.

Leonardo started feeling dizzy from the lack of air, and pulled away, opening his mouth to get a gulp of air before his mouth was recaptured again, Ezio nearly tackling him to the floor as Leonardo was bombarded with kisses again. "E-Ezio…" Leonardo mumbled against Ezio's mouth. The assassin pulled away, frowning slightly, but it disappeared when Leonardo's finger pressed against those kiss-bruised lips, stroking them, and running up and down the scar a few times. "There will be plenty of time for more…yes?" Leonardo smiled softly up at Ezio, who was huffing slightly. "For now, can we eat?"

Ezio smiled fondly and took Leonardo's hand in his, kissing it softly. "Of course, _il mio unico amore_." As he let Leonardo sit up and finish his meal of bread and cheese, his brown eyes caught sight of the corner of a canvas, the one drawn and painted for him by Leonardo, the one Leonardo struggled over. "You'll have to do another portrait of me Leonardo," he said, putting an arm around the artist and pulling him close.

Leonardo's eyes brightened, their usual cheery sheen returned. "Of course Ezio!" Ezio smiled and made a mental note to get rid of that portrait.

(It's done! Thanks guys for reading this. And I'm sorry for any Italian in any of the chapters that I might have messed up. This is probably because I took one year of middle school French and three years of high school Spanish...This was a lot of fun to write, and might have been a bit difficult at places, but it was worth it! Please R&R if you guys enjoyed this, and I'll be sure to write more stuff like this!)


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